Bangkok After Hours - eBook

Monday, July 18, 2016

Tourism Ministry Want Single Men to Stop Visiting Thailand for Sex.

From Asian Correspondent News is the story about how authorities
in Thailand are clamping down on prostitution in the country amid the Tourism
Ministry’s bid to purge its reputation as a prime commercial sex destination.
Police have begun mounting raids on brothels in Bangkok in recent weeks,
targeting well known establishments in the kingdom’s capital.

Despite
the appeal of Thailand’s sex industry among foreigners, Tourism Minister
Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said it is not the main attraction among tourists to
the country.

“Tourists don’t come to Thailand for such a thing. They come
here for our beautiful culture,” Kobkarn was quoted saying to Reuters, as
reported in the Straits Times.

“We want Thailand to be about quality tourism. We want
the sex industry gone,” Kobkarn said.

While the majority seeking commercial sex in the
country is comprised mainly of Thai men, foreign tourists are also among those
who contribute significantly to the industry in Thailand. On average, Thailand receives around 10 million tourists annually, of which
some 60 percent stood among males, according to World Outreach International.

The organization estimated that 70 percent of male
tourists who visit Thailand come specifically for sex – which means
approximately 4.2 million men have flocked to the predominantly conservative
Buddhist country for sex tourism over the last few years.

Commentary: So a country with a struggling economy would prefer to send 70 percent of it's single male tourists to other countries to spend their wads of cash on fun and games? Insert laugh track "Here".